My wife Arlys and I
are long-time anime fans, but it’s become difficult for us to find
something we like. Like American TV networks, Japanese animation
studios produce many series that are maudlin and unoriginal. We
prefer shows that are out of the ordinary, generally with a sci-fi,
supernatural, or crime element. Recently we encountered a 2019
release called Dororo. It’s based on a manga and anime created in
the late 1960’s by Osamu Tezuka. This new version was adapted by
Studio MAPPA. If you’re looking for a shounen-type series with an
unusual premise, this fits the bill.

Dororo takes place
in feudal Japan and features a young man whose father, Lord Daigo,
sold him to evil spirits in return for a guarantee of prosperity for
his domains. Each of twelve demons takes a piece of the unfortunate
infant: its eyes, ears, nose, arms, legs, even skin. The child’s
guilt-stricken mother sets her horribly deformed baby adrift on the
river. A surgeon/alchemist named Jukai rescues the child, fits him
with fake skin and prosthetics and trains him as a fighter. Although
blind and deaf, the boy has the psychic ability to “see” evil and
can battle demons with the swords built into his arms. He acquires
the name Hyakkimaru (“little monster”) as a result of his
menacing nature.

As for Dororo,
that’s Hyakkimaru’s sidekick, an orphan child who claims to be
“the greatest thief in Japan.” The spunky Dororo bonds with the
silent warrior, calling him “Big Bro” and helping him find food
and shelter. The kid has a tragic back-story and some secrets of his
own, so they make a good team. As they wander the countryside,
Hyakkimaru senses evil and instinctively attacks it. If he kills one
of the demons from the deal with Dad, he magically reclaims one of
his missing body parts, starting with his skin, nose, and ears.
Eventually, he gets his voice back and learns to speak; his first
word is “Dororo.”

As bizarre and
complicated as this show is, we were able to suspend our disbelief
and enjoy it. It’s not difficult to imagine feudal Japan as a land
crawling with the supernatural. Sometimes the spirits our heroes
encounter are not evil, and Hyakkimaru shows them mercy. At other
times, he earns the gratitude of the locals by destroying the demons
that have been preying upon them. At times the villagers are, like
Lord Daigo, in league with the evil ones, thus earning Hyakkimaru’s
wrath.

Meanwhile, Lord
Daigo is unaware of his son’s survival. His wife bears him a second
son, his heir apparent Tahomaru. As the evil spirits succumb one by
one, his realm begins to experience epidemics, crop failures, and
threats of invasion by neighboring rulers. Daigo realizes what is
happening and resolves to kill Hyakkimaru, but fails in his attempts.
Tahomaru is at first furious about his parents’ deception but
nevertheless decides to his brother to save his future domain. This
leads to some classic brother vs. brother conflict.

Despite the show’s
demonic premise, Dororo is a classic martial-arts story that pits two
underdogs against the forces of an entire kingdom. Ironically, it was
originally aimed at kids – perhaps the older version was a bit less
violent. The show’s young namesake provides humor and manages to be
likable without being too cutesy. Besides providing exciting monster
battles, the show highlights an essential moral quandary – is it
acceptable to do evil in order to accomplish good?

Dororo is an
animated series that’s original and engaging but not for the overly
sensitive. The complicated storyline can be a bit confusing at times,
so I can’t quite give it a perfect score. I give it 4.5 out of 5
gears.